The short of it...
I made myself a birthday dress.
The long of it, I made it in honor of my 40th birthday...
To be honest, turning 40 doesn't seem like that big of a deal.
I do love birthdays mind you, but not one seems more important necessarily than the other to me. But, with the change of decade there does seem to be a bit of unavoidable reflection. And when you are reflecting back over the years between 30 and 40, that might surprise you a bit!
Thinking back to my 30th birthday, I was in my last month of pregnancy with Violet eating wings and watching the Super Bowl. My 30th didn't seem like a big deal either, except that well, I was 38 weeks pregnant!
Within these past 10 years...we now have two kids, we have moved three times from New Jersey to Maryland and now back to New Jersey, living in four different homes. I've played the role of both working mom and stay at home mom. My husband himself has had several different jobs. I went from a runner to a non runner to a runner again. I went from never having sewn anything other than pillow cases to sewing all the things...
Life changes a lot in a decade! Regardless, really, of which decade it is. When I talked with my Dad on my birthday he asked me if I felt like "Oh man, I can't believe I'm 40!" or if it was no big deal. And, really, it's no big deal. I told him that, to me, the bigger milestone was Violet's upcoming 10th birthday! Because, I think, as a parent you get used to moving right along with what you are doing. Aging changes you with wrinkles and grey hairs, but often you are really just moving right along...but as you watch your children grow and mature and pass milestone after milestone you begin, in a way, to simply measure time by that.
I'm guessing it had to do with all of that "reflecting" on change...on my "metamorphosis" if you will...but I really wanted to make myself the Metamorphic dress from Sew Liberated as my birthday dress...
I've loved the idea of this dress since it came out, but only now have had a chance to sew it up! I mean who doesn't love the idea of a reversible dress!
On one side of the dress is Brussels washer linen from Imagine Gnats
The other is Cotton and Steel Rayon that I bought from Whimsey Quilts' going store closing sale.
The two together are a match made in wearable heaven! The drape of each of these is amazing on their own, but when they come together it makes for a super luxurious, but super wearable everyday kind of dress too.
I added 5" to the bodice because I really wanted it to hit closer to my waistline. And, since I added to the bodice (and since I'm only 5'2") I shortened the skirt by 6" and omitted the pockets (silly I know!) because they just didn't fit right into the new proportions. Despite having made a muslin and being happy with it, I feel like the bodice is a little too big, likely because the weight of the two fabrics together pull down more?
I might remedy this at some point, but for now when I'm wearing it layered with sweaters it's not a big deal.
If you are familiar with this pattern you might also notice that the bottom of the skirt looks a bit different than it ought too...And that, that is just because of a fun vision I had that clouded clear thought! Ha, it happens right?
The intention was for the solid side to have the cotton and steel print peaking out...and then after I had sewn the two dresses together and it was time to sew the hem, I realized that that doesn't work! Ugh! The rayon has a right side and a wrong side and the wrong side was the side that would be peaking out from underneath the linen. Not, what I had in mind! It's a good thing I'm short (as I mentioned...) because to fix it I just cut the peaking out part off! While, obviously that wasn't my initial plan, I'm still happy with it.
The idea of this dress was, in a way, for it to embrace and inspire change. I know it's cheesy. But really it was. To embrace the change that has happened over the past decade and to inspire more, different change in the upcoming decade...
And, maybe that's a lot to ask of a dress, but so far...I can already see it having "many hats"...
This is what Violet called my "fancy cowgirl outfit"...
I really love wearing my Susanne cardigan with this dress...but I've also really loved tossing on a fitted crewneck with it as well and love that it gives a whole different vibe...
I wore this outfit to a Cub Scouts meeting last night. It was cold inside so I also kept my beanie hat on. I asked Violet if I looked like a 40 year old in this outfit or if I looked like a hip mama...
she took a step back and looked at me and with the most perfectly appropriate smile came the most perfectly appropriate response... "Both?"
I love that kid!
So, here it is...this metamorphic dress...this dress to inspire change in so many different ways...
Worn with several RTW sweaters, also with my Susanne cardigan, my green Toaster sweater and my mustard ponte Julia cardigan.
See it's already metamorphosing and inspiring creativity!
Please, excuse the cheese, I'm just having fun with one of my new favorite dresses!
Happy Friday!
